An Overdue Catch Up

Oct/Dec 2024

 The last time I updated the blog was late October during the IPO festival. A lot of poker has been played since that time. I should have posted a few blogs in the intervening five months but just didn't get around to them.  I'll do my best to summarize what went down over that period now before the Irish Open kicks off next week.

October 2024 saw the end of my 12 month sponsorship contract with KKPoker. I had an enjoyable time representing KKPoker and I'd like to think I did a good job promoting the KKPoker brand for the period.  Special thanks to Tia Nguyen & Mervin Hassan for their support and friendships throughout the year.

I hit a rich vein of form with seven 1st places finishes between my last blog on the 24th of October and the end of the year. First up was the high roller at the IPO which I took down for €7,000 on OCT 27th.  This was followed with an enjoyable win in the main event at The Eglington for €5250 in their "Wild Atlantic Way" Festival.

My focus was firmly fixed in this period on my defense of the Irish Poker Tour league and the playoffs. To say things went very well would be an understatement.

There was a 1st at the IPT stop in Cork for €4,450 followed up with an amazing week back in Eglington for the IPT Galway Winter Festival. Two trophy's and four final tables for the week saw me shoot up the league table and what looked a very unlikely  back to back league win a month before now looked a possibility.

I travelled to Prague straight after the Galway festival for the EPT and finished 204th for €8,500.  A nice return, I think it's fair to say I would have given up my seven 1st place finishes in Oct to Dec for a "W" in that one with its €950k up top.

IPT Trophy's

Claremorris was the last stop before the Irish Poker Tours years final and I managed to win the  PLO. If I had won the main event there I'd have topped the leaderboard but fell just short. It was a great run over the previous six weeks and secured a nice stack for the playoff finals. Hugh Smyth toped the league table and was a very deserved winner. Hugh had been up there all year putting in top performances week in week out and I couldn't be happier to see him top the table. 

 The playoff final was pretty epic. The top 16 players in the league playing for part of the €50k prize pool with everyone paid. It's the tours best players battling it out and to win it back to back gave me great satisfaction. The final table was a rollercoaster that lasted an age with some brilliant poker played. I felt very proud to come out on top of such a great bunch of players for a second year running.  

Jan/March 2025

2025 started well. A spur of the moment trip to the Czech republic city of  Karlovy Vary resulted in a nice score for 4th place finish in the €1,100 5card PLO for €14000. My other January result was a win in the €150 PLO  at the Irish Poker Tour - Munster Poker Festival, Charleville for €1500. It was good to get some early points in for this years tour league.

February saw another final table abroad finishing 7th for €9000 in the main event of Smart Poker Tour's  Sofia Bulgaria leg. Two final tables at the Dublin Poker Festival would complete what was a month of crossbars. I finished  5th of 561 players in the €300 buyin ACOP main event for €9140. This was followed with a 6th in the €500 PLO for €1700.

Champion Andy Toole

March was all about the inaugural Irish Poker Tours - Glasgow poker festival. Huge congratulations to my buddy Andy who took down the main event. Andy was the only Irishman standing with 45 players left in the main event but put in a tremendous performance to take the trophy and first prize of £53,000 back to Cork. I got a great kick seeing Andy winning this and the cherry on top was a small percentage swapped we had made in the event.

My own festival started with a bang; on my head. I was rushing to late reg the first event a mistook a plate glass window for the entrance door. I got some slap, there was a right lump on my head an I think I was concussed for the following week. Having said that a great week was to follow. 

Second in the £ 500 Pot Limit Omaha - Glasgow Championship For £6,000. Second in the 

£ 200 Pot Limit Omaha 7 Max - 4 / 5 Card Level of Each for £2542 and second in the £300 No Limit Hold'em - Glasgow Poker Cup for £8500. A trophy would have been nice but I think I can chalk £17,000 in cashes down as a very successful trip. On a side note if you see me around the RDS early at this weeks Irish Open looking for a plate glass window to headbutt you'll know I haven't totally lost it. 

Trophy's for Michael and Me

Next up was one of the Irish Poker Tours flagship events. The St. Patrick's €100K For €100, Dublin at the Green Isle. This is always one of the best craic weeks on the calendar and with the chance of a huge score for a €100 buyin. I finished 133rd of the 1927 players in the main event for a small cash of €300. Congratulations to Mark Murphy who navigated his way through the massive field and banked first place and €22,000 for his €100 entry.

I managed two final tables for the week, 8th in the 10k One Dayer and a lovely €7265 for 1st and Trophy in the €300 entry Dublin €300. Another good festival for me and a rich vein of form heading into the Irish Open Festival. 

I can't finish up my coverage of March with out mentioning two friends of mine who had a class month. Michael Merrigan  is a regular at all the  IPT stops and always a pleasure to share a table with. Between the Glasgow & Dublin stops in March, Michael had a astounding three 1st place finished from eight cashes. 

BigMickG

And Finally a shout out to one of my oldest friends in poker Michael "BigMickG" Graydon. Mick has really hit form this year and had a super run to finish second for €23,600 at the ACOP Championships in February. This was followed last week at KKPokers100k guarantee with a well deserved 1st place and another €20k score. Great to see Mick hitting top form again.

OK that's it. If you stayed this long reading thanks very much and I'll try not leaving it so long before my next update. It's off the the RDS and my favorite event in the world, hopefully the good form continues and I can get to fulfill a life long dream of becoming Irish Open Champion. .